Brooch containing lock of Admiral Lord Nelson’s hair to be sold at auction

A brooch containing a lock of Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson’s hair, which was given to a Royal Navy officer who fought alongside him, is to be sold at auction.

The jewellery item, which was once owned by William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, has a pre-sale estimate of £2,000 to £4,000.

Lord Nelson, the British naval commander, was famed for his victories over the French during the Napoleonic Wars, including the Battle of Trafalgar, where he was killed in action in 1805.

Waldegrave was the third in command on the British side at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797, in which a larger Spanish fleet were defeated.

He received the gilt metal brooch with a lock of Nelson’s hair and it is now being sold at auction by one of Waldegrave’s descendants.

Coming from the same collection is a memorial snuff box, the cover of which is inset with a silvered metal portrait medallion of Nelson, and which has a pre-sale estimate of £300 to £500.

A memorial snuff box, the cover of which is inset with a silvered metal portrait medallion of Admiral Lord Nelson, will also be sold at auction (Cheffins/PA)

Nicolas Martineau, a director at Cheffins Fine Art Auctioneers in Cambridge which is hosting the auction, said: “The Battle of Cape St Vincent was certainly notable in Nelson’s career and showed him, as so often was the case, a brilliant if not reckless tactician.

“It was these examples of daring and bravery that went on to make him the most celebrated figure in British naval history.

“These lots come to the market for the first time with watertight provenance having been in continuous ownership since they were received by William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock.”

William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave.

He was 13 years old when he joined the Royal Navy in 1766 and rose quickly through the ranks, given his first command on the sloop HMS Zephyr in 1775.

He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in 1794 and Vice Admiral in 1795, and was third in command at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797, aboard the battleship HMS Barfleur.

Waldegrave was offered a baronetcy for his successful involvement but declined this on the grounds that being the son of an earl already gave him a higher station.

In May of that year, he was granted the governorship of the North American colony of Newfoundland, off the coast of Canada.

On his return to England in 1800 he was made an Irish peer, 1st Baron Radstock, of Castletown in the Queen’s County.

The items are part of Cheffins auctioneers’ Fine Sale in Cambridge on September 22.